TTJ canvassed industry organisations and companies about their plans and predictions for the sector for the year ahead. Respondents identified challenges due to the wider economic situation and geopolitical tensions, but they also see market opportunities and continuing strong prospects for timber generally given its capacity for reinvention and its increasingly relevant environmental credentials.

David Hopkins, Chief Executive Timber Development UK

Modest Growth, Better Than None …

Last year saw some of the toughest trading conditions we’ve seen since the financial crash and the impact of this, particularly ending with the collapse of one of the sector’s largest trading groups, will cast a long shadow into 2026.

Nobody will be feeling over-confident going into this year, but there are some positive signs ahead amid the negative gloom. Most of the constituent parts of NTG have now been picked up by other, more stable, trading companies, thankfully saving many jobs in the process. And, it is a sign of the strength of the sector that we’ve seen very few other failures during this period.

The lateness of the November budget was one of the main economic drags in the second half of 2025, with multiple false flag announcements causing uncertainty across the economy.

With that out of the way though, the housing market – a key driver for the timber sector – starts the year in a relatively stable position. It may be from a very low base, but we can assume some of the demand that ‘sat it out’ in 2025 will now re-enter the market in 2026. Affordability and mortgage availability is improving with slightly decreasing interest rates, even if confidence is likely to be slower to recover.

While this may only point to a gradual increase in transactions, it is an increase nonetheless, with plenty of potential for refurbishments and repairs.

The new-build market is also forecast for modest growth under these conditions with timber-frame already taking an increased share. Incoming regulations, such as the Future Homes Standard, favour timberframe’s superior thermal and carbon performance.

With the Government investing £39bn into the Social and Affordable Housing programme and still banging the (frankly unbelievable) ‘1.5 million homes’ drum, we should see steady housing growth across the country.

However, this assumes the economy doesn’t get blown off course by events beyond its control.





Geneviève Standaert, Export Manager Vandecasteele Houtimport

Steady, demandled growth…

The timber market gradually improved through the year, after a softer 2024, with demand tied closely to a slow but positive turn in construction activity. Hardwoods performed a lot better than in 2024 with an increase of 15%. We navigated this environment by leveraging our large multi-species stock and prioritizing certified supply where customers needed speed and certainty.

Among our key developments in October 2025, we became the first company in Belgium to achieve Preferred by Nature certification for both Chain of Custody (CoC) and our Due Diligence System (DDS)—a milestone that affirms our traceability systems and EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) readiness. We also once more received the Sustainable Development Goal Champion Award.

Being honoured again, this time in the category of Strategic Champion, highlighted our strategic approach and integration of sustainability across all aspects of our operations.

Operationally, we continued our modal shift: moving import containers from Antwerp by inland waterway to River Terminals Wielsbeke, Wevelgem and Rekkem, all situated within 15 miles of our warehouse in Aalbeke. This cut road kilometres per multimodal delivered container by 80% and halved CO2 for the total route.

In terms of investment, we undertook further development of our racking system and purchased two special side loaders which can reach up to 9 metres. We also continued electrification of our fleet, with all our reps now driving electric or at least hybrid vehicles.

Our broad European footprint and diverse stock—around 135,000m3, comprising 140 different species across hardwoods and softwoods for markets including construction, cladding and garden timber — enabled fast, certified deliveries to customers across Belgium, France, the Netherlands, the UK, Germany and the rest of Europe.

We saw increased interest in lesser-known species, supporting biodiversity, and our quest for certified teak has been very successful, with our worldwide export offer boosting sales.

In 2026 we expect steady, demand-led growth as construction stabilizes, and mass timber solutions continue gaining traction, albeit with price volatility and supply chain complexity still possible. A major factor will be the EUDR: the European Council and Parliament have now backed a one-year delay to 30 Dec 2026 for large/ medium operators and 30 Jun 2027 for micro/small operators, with adoption of targeted simplifications. We welcome clarity on timelines while continuing to invest in robust due diligence, geolocation data and supplier auditing. In the meantime, the EU Timber Regulation remains valid for all timber companies and competent authorities in Europe will police compliance for this for another year!

In the coming year we’ll keep strengthening our certified-only strategy and our lesser-known timber species (LKTS) portfolio.

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Source: ttjonline.com